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The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) predicts that approximately 85,000 Chinese tourists will visit Korea during the Spring Festival, the biggest and longest holiday in China. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the KTO are rolling out comprehensive marketing strategies to attract more tourists.
The KTO plans to attract Chinese tourists by utilizing charter flights between Suzhou and Incheon before and after the Spring Festival. A total of 1,023 flights, including charter flights, are scheduled to operate between China and Korea during this period.
This year’s Spring Festival holiday is from February 10 to 17.
The KTO has directly attracted about 9,000 tourists through promotions linked with local Chinese travel agencies and OTAs(Online Travel Agencies) such as Fliggy.
According to the KTO, the most reservations were for Seoul, which offers various flight schedules without tours, and Jeju Island, which allows visa-free visits.
In addition, festival-linked products in Gangwon Province, the host site of the ‘2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games’, are also gaining popularity.
The KTO is currently running a mobile pay promotion for a month from February 1, where individual Chinese tourists can receive up to a 20% discount at Alipay Plus affiliate stores in Myeongdong, Seoul, and Zero Pay affiliate stores nationwide.
During the same period, a Chinese mobile pay promotion booth is being operated on the 5th floor of Hiker Ground located in Cheonggyecheon, Seoul.
Tourists who authenticate their visit on their Chinese SNS accounts such as Xiaohongshu or make purchases at mobile pay affiliate stores can participate in various experience events such as taking photos in a large Korean tourism character photo zone and Life Four Cuts.
Reflecting the trend of exchanging Hongbao via WeChat in China, the KTO is also holding a digital Hongbao SNS event, distributing free Hongbao featuring the blue dragon symbolizing this year and the KTO character through the WeChat accounts of the KTO’s seven Chinese branches.
Digital Hongbao refers to a service that allows you to use Hongbao, a red envelope used to hold New Year’s pocket money and wedding gifts in China, even when transferring money via mobile pay.
The KTO also opened an official account on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese version of Instagram, on December 26, positioning it as an essential channel for marketing targeting millennials and Gen Z (born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s).
Jo Hee Jin, head of the KTO’s International Marketing Department, said, “This year, we plan to focus on attracting large groups such as youth math trips and lifestyle sports exchanges using region-specific content, as well as individual Chinese tourists, including the millennials and gen Z, who are interested in travel.”
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